Richmond, VA (April 27, 2013) – A week ago in Kansas, Casey Mears’ #13 GEICO Ford Fusion was making its way quickly around Kansas Speedway before his great run came to an abrupt halt when he was hit from behind while avoiding a crash. Richmond is a track where he’s experienced reasonable success, leaving the Germain Racing team hopeful for redemption at the ¾-mile racing facility.

Through the first two practices, Mears and his GEICO machine were 25th and 33rd in the respective sessions.Qualifying would later betray the Germain Racing team, as Mears would be left to fight from the rear when he was relegated to starting 40th in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

A large crowd was on-hand to watch Mears and his Sprint Cup Series counterparts do a little short-track racing under the lights.Starting 40th, Mears would need to find a way to move forward from the 20th row.He quickly jumped to 37th, but almost immediately succumbed to handling issues.On lap four, he radioed to crew chief, Bootie Barker: “It won’t turn right now, it’s really tight.”He would battle the racecar for most of the evening before his #13 GEICO Fusion began to get quicker and he found himself in the Lucky Dog position on lap 180.Mears began turning lap times quicker than the leaders, but narrowly missed out on gaining a lap back when the caution flag was displayed on lap 232.He would also later fall victim to a yellow flag waving just as he departed pit road from a scheduled stop.If not for a couple of untimely cautions, Mears could have easily netted a top 25, lead lap finish.

The checkered flag waved late Saturday night after a green-white-checker finish, halting 406 laps of racing.When he crossed the finish line, Mears was scored in the 30th position, netting ten spots from where he started.He has now taken the checkered flag eight times in nine starts, showing the resilience and consistency of the Germain Racing team.

“We had a tough night, but the guys on this GEICO crew never quit and we finally got the car to where we were running fast lap times,” Mears said.“We were good last week in Kansas and next week in Talladega we’ll be up front again.It’s human nature to focus on the negative, but the reality is that we’ve been really fast this year and a couple of bad runs doesn’t change that.And it doesn’t change the hard work these guys have put in and how much we’ve improved from a year ago.”He continued, “We’ve always done well at Talladega, so we’re excited to get our #13 GEICO Ford Fusion back there and have some fun.We led four times there in October, so we’re focused on being at the front again this year.”

Up next is the second restrictor-plate race of the 2013 season.On October 7, 2012, Mears and his GEICO team very nearly visited Victory Lane at Talladega before Tony Stewart slid down and started a chain reaction, 25-car crash that ended a day that saw Mears as the leader four different times throughout the race.

Mears and the #13 GEICO Ford Fusion will hit the track at Talladega Superspeedway for the opening practice session on Friday, May 3rd, at 2:00 PM (EDT).Qualifying will follow on Saturday afternoon at 12:10 PM (EDT).

The Aaron’s 499 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is on Sunday, May 5th, and it will be televised live on FOX beginning at 1:00 PM (EDT).The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.

To learn more about the GEICO Racing program, please visit: www.caseymearsracing.com

You can also follow GEICO Racing on Twitter: www.twitter.com/geicoracing

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About Germain Racing

Germain Racing team owner Bob Germain Jr. is passionate about racing in NASCAR’s highest ranks. He and his brothers, Steve and Rick, established the racing team in 2004 and Bob is thrilled to see the team’s progression to competing each week in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.